Russia rejects Ukraine’s plea for talks about Crimea region

Unmarked vehicles with men wearing unmarked uniforms assumed to be Russian operatives after seizing two of Crimea's airports.

Newscast Media MOSCOW—Russia has rejected a call by Ukraine to discuss the
worsening political situation in the country’s semi-autonomous Crimea region, saying
the crisis is an internal issue.

In a statement released on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry rejected a call for
consultations on Crimea with new Ukrainian officials.

The statement also added that Moscow has not violated an agreement regarding the
movement of its troops in the region.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said the movement of armored vehicles belonging to
Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea is in line with Russian-Ukrainian agreements.

The ministry continued by saying that the movements were needed “to ensure the
security of the places where the Black Sea fleet is stationed on the territory of
Ukraine.”

This comes as Ukraine’s new Interior Minister Arsen Avakov earlier in the day accused
Russian troops of staging an “invasion” of Crimea’s international airport in Simferopol
and the Belbek airfield near the city of Sevastopol, which is home to Russia’s Black
Sea fleet.

Ukrainian officials have also accused Moscow of escalating the violence in Crimea.
On Thursday, dozens of gunmen seized the government and parliament buildings in
Crimea and raised Russian flags over them.

However, Moscow denies that its forces have been involved in the events in Crimea.
Unrest erupted in Ukraine in November 2013, when ousted president, Viktor
Yanukovych, refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the EU in favor of
closer ties with Russia.

On February 23, the Ukrainian parliament ousted Yanukovych and named Oleksandr
Turchynov, the legislature’s newly-elected speaker, as interim president.